Lucknow Chikan Emporium

Our place, Lucknow Chikan Emporium, is tucked away at number 9 on Gheewalon ka Rasta. If you know Johari Bazar, you know how those narrow lanes can be. It’s always packed with people and carts, and our street is no different. We deal with Chikan work, which is something we’ve been around for a long time. The shop has that old feel to it, maybe because the building itself has seen so many years. We have stacks of fabric everywhere, and sometimes it's hard to keep track of everything. It’s not like those modern stores in the malls where everything is perfectly spaced out. Here, we use every inch of room we have. Customers come in and sit down while we show them different pieces. It’s a slow process sometimes, but that’s just how we do it. The light in the lane isn't always the best, so we have to make sure our indoor lights are bright enough. We hear the sounds of the bazaar all day long—people haggling, bells ringing, and the general noise of the city. It’s a bit of a maze getting here, but once people find us, they usually stay a while. We aren't trying to be anything we’re not. We just sell what we have and try to keep the traditions of the work going in our little corner of Johari Bazar.